From Comprehensive Atlas, Geographical, Historical and Commercial by Thomas Gamaliel Bradford, 1835. First issue of the first separate map of Texas to appear in an atlas. Courtesy Dorothy Sloan-Rare Books, Austin, Texas

From Comprehensive Atlas, Geographical, Historical and Commercial by Thomas Gamaliel Bradford, 1835. First issue of the first separate map of Texas to appear in an atlas. Courtesy Dorothy Sloan-Rare Books,

Check out these maps that show what defines the Lone Star State. From burger chains to NFL fans to gerrymandering, we look at the most fascinating maps about Texas.

Check out these maps that show what defines the Lone Star State. From burger chains to NFL fans to gerrymandering, we look at the most fascinating maps about Texas.

Photo: Thomas Gamaliel Bradford, University Of Texas Libraries

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Just how big is Texas?

"Texas-sized" is a popular unit of measurement when officials need to make it clear that something is huge. This map shows just how big Texas is compared to France. If the Lone Star State, seceded it'd actually be the 40th biggest country in the world.

Eleven of the country's 66 interstatesmake their way through Texas, including the coast-to-coast champion I-10. Check out all the ways these highways interconnect – and sometimes don't. The newest interstate is I-2, along the U.S.-Mexico border. The highway received that designation only a few years ago.

Astronaut Scott Kelly captured the state’s five biggest cities in one shot in a photo. Even the I-35 corridor that connects Austin and San Antonio is visible in Kelly’s fabulous shot taken 250 miles above the Earth.

Early Texas settler Jacob De Cordova's map of the state in 1849. The map shows Indian territories that surrounded the state. Santa Fe County, now a part of New Mexico, also was established in the Republic of Texas.

The Texas General Land Office sells replicas of antiques map like this one to help preserve millions of original documents.

The president spoke to a huge crowd at the Cotton Dome, visited the San Jacinto Battleground near Houston and saw the Alamo in San Antonio. He was even named an honorary chief by members of the Tigua Indian tribe near El Paso, according to the Texas Historical Commission.

That all depends on your location. Using data from NASA satellites, a couple of government agencies put together a map of when Texas is in bloom. For most of the state, vegetation comes to life in March. However, West Texas (and parts of southern Texas) can't appreciate the greenery until late May or even June.

A Census tool shows where the largest portion of Spanish speakers live in the state, who also speak English "less than very well." Those speakers are concentrated along the Mexico-USA border and the state's most populated cities.

Local high schools produce many future college football stars. This web tool created by SBNation's Paul Dalen lets you search to see which city every college recruit hailed from between 2002 and 2014.

We just looked at where Texas' 5-star recruits are produced (the smaller logos are 4-star recruits). Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama grab most of the state's vaunted high school players. But even Duke snagged a 5-star recruit from the Houston area during the time period.

Sorry Texans fans, there's a reason your rival has earned the nickname "America's Team." The Dallas Cowboys fanbase doesn't just dominate the state but the whole country. You probably already knew that but this map shows how bad the disparity is. Twitter crunched the data on where @HoustonTexans and @dallascowboys followers live.

Even though the Cowboys have more fans than the Texans in the state, only 33 percent of the Dallas' Twitter followers are even located in Texas. That's how spread out the fanbase is. On the other hand, 67 percent of Texans followers are located within the Lone State State.

This NBA fan map shows the intense battle for followers between Texas' three NBA teams. But they're not the only pro squads involved in this fray. A few Texas counties prefer their neighbors to the north, the Oklahoma City Thunder. And some residents don't even root for a local roster. A large portion of the state's basketball fans prefer the Los Angeles Lakers bandwagon.

In 2012, Texas was vulnerable to all types of extreme weather. The state especially saw record-breaking temperatures in the panhandle. The middle of the state broke rainfall records, and even a few snowfall ones as well. And 34 large wildfires also appeared sporadically throughout Texas. Overall, the U.S. saw 3,527 monthly weather records broken in 2012, according to the National Climatic Data Center.

Take a look at the mega-drought affecting the Lone Star State. The drought is hurting the state's agriculture industry in central Texas and the Panhandle. Early in the 21st Century, the state could be looking at a decades-long drought, thanks in part to global warming. The previous record drought lasted seven years in the 1950s.

The “Racial Dot Map” – created by a researcher at the University of Virginia using 2012 Census data – shows how diverse the population is in Texas’ major cities. One dot represents a person. Take a closer look at the racial breakdown in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin.

Food deserts – areas where its difficult to buy affordable, good-quality food – are abundant in Texas. These are low-income parts of the country where a significant number or share of residents live more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket.

An 1835 edition of David H. Burr's map of Texas shows the borders of the region had expanded north of the Arkansas River. This edition was released on the same year as the Battle of Gonzales, the start of the Texas Revolution.

An 1835 edition of David H. Burr's map of Texas shows the borders of the region had expanded north of the Arkansas River. This edition was released on the same year as the Battle of Gonzales, the start of the ... more

Photo: David H. Burr, J.H. Colton & Co.

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An overlap of Burr's 1835 map of a modern-day satellite view of Texas.

An 1836 map titled "A New Map of Texas, With The Contiguous American & Mexican States." Unlike Burr's map, you'll see the border between Texas and Louisiana is a bit more clearly defined. This year marked the beginning of the Republic of Texas.

An 1836 map titled "A New Map of Texas, With The Contiguous American & Mexican States." Unlike Burr's map, you'll see the border between Texas and Louisiana is a bit more clearly defined. This year marked ... more

Photo: James H. Young, S.A. Mitchell

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An overlay of that 1836 map over a modern-day satellite view of Texas.

This 1840 map is actually a reissue of an earlier Burr illustration done in 1836. The difference here is this map features railroad lines and several new counties. A year prior, Austin was named the new capitol of the republic.

This 1840 map is actually a reissue of an earlier Burr illustration done in 1836. The difference here is this map features railroad lines and several new counties. A year prior, Austin was named the new capitol ... more

Photo: Jeremiah Greenleaf, G.R. French

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An overlay of that 1840s map over a modern-day satellite view of Texas.

The year 1849 marked the California Gold Rush, which is partly the focus on this map released that same year. Zooming in on Texas' northwestern border shows the cities of Santa Fe and Albuquerque were barely within our state. This map was released a year after the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War.

The year 1849 marked the California Gold Rush, which is partly the focus on this map released that same year. Zooming in on Texas' northwestern border shows the cities of Santa Fe and Albuquerque were barely ... more

Photo: House & Brown

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Cutting of a portion of that 1849 map and overlapping it with a modern-day satellite view of Texas.

An 1852 preliminary sketch of Galveston Bay by the U.S. Coast Survey Office is surprisingly accurate. In the upper left, you'll note the former name of Lake Anahuac, Turtle Bay.

An 1852 preliminary sketch of Galveston Bay by the U.S. Coast Survey Office is surprisingly accurate. In the upper left, you'll note the former name of Lake Anahuac, Turtle Bay.

Photo: File/U.S. Coast Survey Office

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An 1852 preliminary sketch of Galveston Bay by the U.S. Coast Survey Office is surprisingly accurate. In the upper left, you'll note the former name of Lake Anahuac, Turtle Bay.

An 1852 preliminary sketch of Galveston Bay by the U.S. Coast Survey Office is surprisingly accurate. In the upper left, you'll note the former name of Lake Anahuac, Turtle Bay.

Photo: File/U.S. Coast Survey Office

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An 1857 map of Texas shows the state's distinctive shape has finally set in proper. Note the counties in the western portion of the state are much larger than their modern-day versions, including Bexar, El Paso, Presidio and Cooke counties.

An 1857 map of Texas shows the state's distinctive shape has finally set in proper. Note the counties in the western portion of the state are much larger than their modern-day versions, including Bexar, El ... more

Photo: G.W. Colton, J.H. Colton

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Unfortunately, the map provided for the "Georeferencer" tool is an atlas version that cut off Texas' distinctive Panhandle. Still, the rest of the map could be placed on top of a modern-day satellite view of the state.

Unfortunately, the map provided for the "Georeferencer" tool is an atlas version that cut off Texas' distinctive Panhandle. Still, the rest of the map could be placed on top of a modern-day satellite view of ... more

Photo: G.W. Colton, J.H. Colton

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25 awesome maps that help explain Texas

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Cartographers and data geeks have mapped Texas and the U.S. in all sorts of inventive ways. We pulled together a large collection of maps on the state to learn a little more about where we live.